On November 20th, about 400 people were rioting against the Dakota Access Pipeline. They set fires, and were trying to cross Backwater Bridge and enter a highway near Cannon Ball, North Dakota. Police soon arrived, and used tear gas and rubber bullets to control the crowds. This was just one of the many protests that have happened because of the pipeline. Many people are against the pipeline as it could potentially destroy parts of Native American culture.
The Dakota Access Pipeline (the DAPL) is a 1,172 mile long pipeline, designed to transport crude oil from North Dakota to Illinois. The pipeline has been causing many issues, though. Part of it is being constructed about one mile away from the Standing Rock Reservation, which is home to the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe. The tribe does not want the pipeline to be constructed there, because they believe that it will pollute and drain Lake Oahe, which is their only water source. Also, the construction is said to destroy Native American burial sites, and important artifacts. For months now, people have been protesting against the DAPL, and on November 20th, protests turned violent. Protesters were setting fires, and police began to fire tear gas and rubber bullets at them. “We are wardens of this land. This is our land, and they can’t remove us. We have every right to be here to protect our land and to protect our water,” says Isaac Weston, a member of a camp that was shut down due to construction. Other protesters have similar views, and tensions between activists and officials have only grown. More and more protests are happening each day, but these efforts to stop construction are not working so far.
In order for protesters to effectively stop construction, there are many things that can be done. For example, since protesting does not seem to work, they can use social media to reach out to people who can support the cause. There are things that people can do to help, such as supporting the members of Standing Rock by donating money to them, which can help them bring light to the issue. People can also sign a petition, such as the one that will be sent to the Army Corps of engineers, asking them to stop construction. There are organizations like People Over Pipelines that are trying to organize petitions and protests to stop the Dakota Pipeline, and making donations to this organization can be a big help. These solutions will slow down the progress of the pipeline, and may eventually stop it.
In conclusion, the Dakota Access Pipeline has been causing lots of problems for the Standing Rock Reservation members, and other people that want to protect the environment. This is because it may pollute lakes that Standing Rock gets its water from. They have been protesting against the pipeline for months, but this has done nothing to stop it. Organizing petitions, and getting more people involved through social media and the press will be more helpful. More importantly, the issue of the pipeline will cause environmental groups and tribes like the Standing Rock Sioux to take action.
Works Cited:
Park, Madison, and Mayra Cuevas. “Dakota Access Pipeline Clashes Turn Violent.” CNN. Cable
News Network, 21 Nov. 2016. Web. 23. Nov. 2016. <http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/21/us /dakota-access-pipeline-protests/>.
“Dakota Access Pipeline.” Dakota Access Pipeline. Energy Transfer Partners, L.P., 2015. Web.
23 Nov. 2016. <http://www.daplpipelinefacts.com/>.
Stableford, Dylan. “What’s behind the Dakota Pipeline Protests?” Yahoo! News. Yahoo!, 21 Nov.
2016. Web. 30 Nov. 2016. <https://www.yahoo.com/news/whats-behind-the-dakota-pipeline-pro tests-224501143.html>.
Jean, Bobbi. “Stop the Dakota Access Pipeline.” Change.org. Change.org, Inc., 2016.
Web. 30 Nov. 2016. <https://www.change.org/p/stop-the-dakota-access-pipeline>
.